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Wall Street closed lower on Wednesday, pulled down by energy and real estate stocks. Hotter-than-expected inflation numbers pushed investors toward a consensus that rate cuts by the Fed would slow down even further. Two of the three most widely followed indexes closed the session in the red, while the other remained virtually unchanged.
How Did the Benchmarks Perform?
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) lost 0.5%, or 225.09 points, to close at 44,368.56. Sixteen components of the 30-stock index ended in negative territory, while 14 ended in positive.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite added 6.10 points, remaining virtually unchanged to close at 19,649.95.
The S&P 500 slid 16.53 points, or 0.3%, to close at 6,051.97. Ten of the 11 broad sectors of the benchmark index closed in the red. The Energy Select Sector SPDR (XLE), the Real Estate Select Sector SPDR (XLRE) and the Materials Select Sector SPDR (XLB) lost 2.4%, 0.9% and 0.7%, respectively, while the Communication Services Select Sector SPDR (XLC) rose 0.1%.
The fear-gauge CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) decreased 0.8% to 15.89. A total of 14.8 billion shares were traded on Wednesday, lower than the last 20-session average of 14.9 billion. Decliners outnumbered advancers by a 2.2-to-1 ratio on the S&P 500.
January CPI Comes in Considerably Hotter Than Expected
Per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased 0.5% on a seasonally adjusted basis in January after rising 0.4% in December. This is the index’s biggest spike in almost a year and a half. Core CPI rose 0.4% in January after increasing 0.2% in December.
Inflation coming in this hot is likely due to businesses raising prices at the beginning of the year, especially in the cost of prescription medication and motor vehicle insurance. Yet, investors are looking at it as a caution for the Trump administration’s tariff policy. High inflation could bring the Trump administration's agenda under further scrutiny, and the stock market felt the subsequent heat on Wednesday.
It also entails that the Fed would go slower on rate cuts than anticipated earlier. Per the CME’s FedWatch tool, market participants currently see about a 70% chance the Fed will reduce rates by another 25 basis points in 2025, down from about an 80% chance on Tuesday.
Per a government report, for the week ending Feb. 7, 2025, U.S. commercial crude oil inventories (excluding those in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve) increased by 4.1 million barrels from the previous week. The number from the week prior remained unrevised at 8.7 million barrels.
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Stock Market News for Feb 13, 2025
Wall Street closed lower on Wednesday, pulled down by energy and real estate stocks. Hotter-than-expected inflation numbers pushed investors toward a consensus that rate cuts by the Fed would slow down even further. Two of the three most widely followed indexes closed the session in the red, while the other remained virtually unchanged.
How Did the Benchmarks Perform?
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) lost 0.5%, or 225.09 points, to close at 44,368.56. Sixteen components of the 30-stock index ended in negative territory, while 14 ended in positive.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite added 6.10 points, remaining virtually unchanged to close at 19,649.95.
The S&P 500 slid 16.53 points, or 0.3%, to close at 6,051.97. Ten of the 11 broad sectors of the benchmark index closed in the red. The Energy Select Sector SPDR (XLE), the Real Estate Select Sector SPDR (XLRE) and the Materials Select Sector SPDR (XLB) lost 2.4%, 0.9% and 0.7%, respectively, while the Communication Services Select Sector SPDR (XLC) rose 0.1%.
The fear-gauge CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) decreased 0.8% to 15.89. A total of 14.8 billion shares were traded on Wednesday, lower than the last 20-session average of 14.9 billion. Decliners outnumbered advancers by a 2.2-to-1 ratio on the S&P 500.
January CPI Comes in Considerably Hotter Than Expected
Per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased 0.5% on a seasonally adjusted basis in January after rising 0.4% in December. This is the index’s biggest spike in almost a year and a half. Core CPI rose 0.4% in January after increasing 0.2% in December.
Inflation coming in this hot is likely due to businesses raising prices at the beginning of the year, especially in the cost of prescription medication and motor vehicle insurance. Yet, investors are looking at it as a caution for the Trump administration’s tariff policy. High inflation could bring the Trump administration's agenda under further scrutiny, and the stock market felt the subsequent heat on Wednesday.
It also entails that the Fed would go slower on rate cuts than anticipated earlier. Per the CME’s FedWatch tool, market participants currently see about a 70% chance the Fed will reduce rates by another 25 basis points in 2025, down from about an 80% chance on Tuesday.
Consequently, shares of Marathon Petroleum Corporation (MPC - Free Report) and Caterpillar Inc. (CAT - Free Report) slid 3.9% and 2.8%, respectively. Both currently carry a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Economic Data
Per a government report, for the week ending Feb. 7, 2025, U.S. commercial crude oil inventories (excluding those in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve) increased by 4.1 million barrels from the previous week. The number from the week prior remained unrevised at 8.7 million barrels.